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Solomons MPs To Have $38 Million For Constituency Development Funds

Submitted by PIR Editor on Tue, 04/11/2017 - 15:50

Parliament yet to come up with fair formula for distributing livelihood funds

By Stephen Diisango

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (Solomon Star, ) – More than $300million [US$38 million] in livelihood funds in the 2017 National Budget will go to constituencies for rural development this year.

Leader of the Parliamentary Opposition and Member for Kia Hograno Havulei Jeremiah Manele revealed this in parliament on Monday.

Mr Manele said these funds if utilised properly should improve basic needs and services such as housing, water and sanitation, lighting, transport and income generating activities in the constituencies.

“…an in the process help us to achieve some of the sustainable development goals in our rural areas,” he said.

Mr Manele was contributing on the Sine Die Motion moved by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare on Monday.

He said he looked forward to the implementation of the recently passed private member’s motion for government to consider introducing a formula for fair allocation of constituency development funds to all 50 constituencies based on population, remoteness, hardship and other factors commencing in 2018.

“This as many of us agreed is timely and the right thing to do.

“I look forward to our deliberations on this new formula,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Manele also used the opportunity to the government through the Ministry of Rural Development and Ministry of Finance for facilitating and funding his constituency’s projects and programmes for the last two years.

“My people look forward to this ongoing close collaboration,” he said.

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.